Welcome to the latest version of the DIY Will Kit that we created back in the 1980's 

- making it THE MOST POPULAR AND PROVEN WILL KIT IN AUSTRALIA.

 

 

 

Our Will Kit is your key to making a Will you understand - with no lawyer fees .

 

It will help you:

• Understand your Will much better
• Recognise things that could affect your Will in future
• Know what information you should store to help your Executor look after things for you.

Do you NEED a Will?

You often hear people say "you must make a Will" - it's one of those things that "everybody knows". But why make a Will?

There are two basic reasons:

Reason 1 for making a Will

To give you a say in what happens to your goodies.
When you die you leave a lot of possessions behind, and they would hang around like orphans forever if no-one took care of them.

If you want a say about who gets them, and who organises it all for you, you have to leave instructions, and that's where your Will comes in - that's where you spell out who will get your goodies, and who will control it all for you.

Reason 2 for making a Will

The second reason is about what happens if you don't make a Will. Your goodies then get distributed according to a formula in an Act of Parliament. That formula might suit you or it might not. For instance, your spouse might be entitled to a certain amount, and your children to the rest (which could cause real problems for your spouse, because in Victoria the formula is seriously out of kilter with estate values).

 

How to make your own Will

Unless you are into fancy tricks to lock your assets away from your children (or the tax man), you don't need to pay a lawyer to reinvent the wheel. You can do what most lawyers themselves do - start with a standard template and plug your details into it. Our Will Kit gives you the template and explains how to use it, in only 6 simple steps:

• Identify yourself as the Willmaker
• Revoke any former Wills
• Choose your Executor (you get the benefit of our Probate experience here, because we have seen plenty of lawyer-drafted Wills that caused unnecessary problems for people)
• Deal with Debts
• Say who gets what
• Sign it. (Here too you get the benefit of our Probate experience - we give you tips to help avoid inconvenience for your Executor).

 

Blank Templates

The Will Kit is a printed book that includes blank templates (forms). We include three types of form:

• A "family" style Will that has space for the appointment of executors and the giving of assets - there are TWO COPIES of that form so you and a partner can both make a Will with one Kit - double the savings!!
• A "simple" single page Will template for people who are able to keep it simple (and many can)
• An "open format" Will template that makes it easy to line up words using a computer printer (even though you start with a printed form).

 

We don't include a fistful of forms to keep you going forever, because we think it's unwise - you could find yourself using forms based on laws that have since been changed. Getting an up-to-date Will Kit when you need it makes more sense.

Your Information Storehouse

To make it easier for your executor(s) to do the job for you, we include a list of information your executor will need.

Storing your Will

Having made your Will, you store it where your family or executor will find it. Some people put it in a bank safety deposit, although that is an expensive option since Australian banks moved into gold mining (digging for gold in their customers' pockets). Alternatively, you might be able to store your Will at the Probate Office for a "one-off" fee.  Most people seem to store their Will amongst their personal papers and hope it gets found (and it usually does).

Price

For only $33.00 plus postage you get a Will Kit that allows two partners to both make a Will and even better - to understand it.

"The Real Thing"

Since we first created the Australian Will Kit in the 1980's many "copycat" products have appeared on the market. Some of them even use our "Legal Kits" name in an apparent attempt to pass off their product as ours. We recommend (of course) that you don't settle for less than "the real thing".

Independent Review

In 2010 there was an independent review of four Will Kits on the Australian market, see review. (Opens in new window).